5 Ways to handle Social Media Burnout

You are spending 10-15 hours a day on social media, updating Facebook status, tweeting and retweeting, writing blog posts, promoting your blog on social media platforms, and doing various other things, to manage your social media presence. The work is time-consuming, and you are left completely stressed out, handling multiple social media platforms, and keeping track of all the activities going on in these platforms. As a social media manager or someone in charge of the company‘s social media presence, you cannot escape social media burnout; but there are ways you can manage it, when it strikes. So, here are few things you can do to stave off social media burnout.

1. Have realistic goals

If you have high expectations, and have too much to do in too little time, then you are bound to be disappointed looking at all the pending tasks on your to-do list. Overworking in order to complete the tasks, will result in unnecessary stress and burnout. Be realistic about your goals and plans. Break down big tasks into small achievable chunks and focus on doing one task at a time.

2. Automate your social media posts

Managing social media accounts can be taxing, especially if you are present on multiple social media sites. It is always better to think before you create an account, and carefully choose the appropriate social media tool based on your social media goals and your target audience.

Even after opting for the right tool, you will most likely have more than one account to manage. In that case, you can automate your posts on the social media platforms, though it’s advisable not to follow this practice for long-term, as it kills the purpose of social media , which is interaction with the audience. There are several tools available for automation. TwitterFeed can be used to automate your twitter status updates. Tools like HootSuite, Ping.fm and TweetDeck post updates automatically on multiple social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others.

3. It’s ok to be unavailable

Social media sites are addictive and if you are checking your Facebook page for comments every 5 minutes, then you won’t be able to focus on other tasks at hand.So, make sure you have specific time slots dedicated for social media tasks. Stick to the time and prioritize your tasks, saying no to the less important ones.

By not being available online for some time, you are not going to run into any serious trouble. Take short breaks during the day to recharge your batteries.

4. Delegate the tasks

If you are unable to finish the tasks, then why not delegate it to someone else in the team. If you are a blogger, then one way to handle burnout, yet ensure that you have regular content being published on the blog is by approaching guest bloggers to contribute articles and share their ideas.

5. Reach out for help

Are you constantly repeating mistakes, and doing things in a way that is not working too well. Social media can be draining especially when you are unable to get any tangible results from your efforts, and are not quite clear about what to do next. In that case, reach out for help and seek guidance from someone who has experience in the field.

How do you handle social media burnout? Comment and let us know your ideas.